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    • Is this Luke Fickell’s toughest loss?
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    Is this Luke Fickell’s toughest loss?

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    IOWA CITY, Iowa – A look back at Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Iowa on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium.

    Big picture

    This loss will rival last year’s setback against Northwestern as the worst loss in Luke Fickell’s one-plus seasons as head coach. Against one of their biggest rivals, the Badgers (5-4, 3-3) suffered their most lopsided loss in the series since the 41-0 loss in 1968. Iowa dominated both lines of scrimmage and racked up 329 rushing yards while beating the Badgers held to 124 and 4.4 yards per carry. It was a setback that makes you wonder how quickly the team will bounce back.

    “There’s nothing that hurts more than this,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “So there’s going to be a lot of people, myself included first and foremost, who are going to do a self-assessment and look in the mirror and self-assess where they are and what they’re willing to do to move forward.”

    Turning point

    Iowa’s TD early in the third quarter signals the beginning of the end

    The Badgers were already in trouble at halftime with the Hawkeyes leading 14-3, but the game seemed out of reach after UW surrendered a 10-play, 86-yard drive on Iowa’s first possession of the second half.

    The series was conducted appropriately for a team that allowed more than 300 rushing yards. Iowa didn’t throw once during the possession, with quarterback Brendan Sullivan ripping off runs of 14 and 19 yards and star tailback Kaleb Johnson scoring on a 12-yard gain.

    If you were hoping for a UW comeback, this drive has dashed them.

    Thumbs up

    A career game for Christian Alliegro; Nathanial Vakos gives UW an early lead

    * Nathanial Vakos made a 38-yard field goal for the second straight game. The 38-yarder gave UW a 3-0 lead 12 minutes, 59 seconds into the first quarter.

    * Sophomore linebacker Christian Allegro filled in for Jaheim Thomas after Thomas was unable to play due to injury and recorded a career-high 16 tackles, seven solo, with a sack and 1½ tackles for a loss.

    * Speaking of busy senior linebacker Jake Chaney recorded 10 tackles, his highest total of the season and the second-highest of his career. Last year, he tied his career high with 11 tackles against the Hawkeyes.

    Thumbs down

    * Tight end Tucker Ashcraft was hit with three false start penalties in the first half.

    * Linebacker Aaron Witt was assessed a personal foul penalty in the second quarter for hitting the quarterback late after going out of bounds. Iowa scored its second touchdown of the day.

    * Iowa was the more physical team not only at the point of attack, but also in the open field, where the Badgers seemed to bounce off the Hawkeyes’ ball carriers.

    With the second bye of the Big Ten season coming up next, the Badgers will have to reckon with this loss for a while. When they get back to work, they will begin preparations for senior Oregon, which comes to Camp Randall on November 16th.

    More: Recap: The Badgers were dominated by Iowa’s rushing attack and lost 42-10

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    Madoc Meredith
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